Toyota Motor Sales USA has signed a multiyear agreement to become the title sponsor of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Sonoma Raceway. The event will be held July 29-31. This extends a long-running sponsorship between the automaker and Sonoma Raceway. Toyota also serves as co-title sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at the track (Sonoma Raceway).
TEEING OFF: HSBC has announced the renewal of three of its global golf sponsorships -- the WGC-HSBC Champions, the LPGA HSBC Women’s Champions and the European Tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. The bank earlier this summer announced it would continue as a sponsor of the British Open (HSBC).
FROM THE TOP ROPE: AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi reported USA Network is "adding at least 104 more hours of wrestling when WWE's 'SmackDown' moves to the channel from sibling Syfy next year, bringing its annual total to 263." NBCU and WWE "have spent the last several months out in the marketplace attempting to change the image of the franchise." The result is "37 new advertisers, including the first auto marketers" (ADAGE.com, 11/2).
